For other places with the same name, see Mason City (disambiguation).

Mason City is a city in Iowa, renowned for its collection of architecture by Frank Lloyd Wright and other Prairie School architects, considered the most significant concentration of such architecture outside of Oak Park, Illinois.

Get in

By car

U.S. Highways 18 and 65 go through Mason City. Interstate 35 runs through the nearby town of Clear Lake, about 7 miles west of Mason City.

By plane

• 1 Mason City Municipal Airport (MCW  ^IATA). Nonstop service on United Express to Chicago-O’Hare. (updated Mar 2020)

Get around

Public transportation is close to non-existent in Mason City. There is a paratransit van service available but no public bus system in place.

See

• 1 Music Man Square, 308 South Pennsylvania Avenue, ☏ +1 641 424-2852. Tu-Sa 1-5PM. Learn about Mason City's own Music Man, Meredith Willson. Admission includes the 1912 Streetscape, The Meredith Willson Museum, and the Meredith Willson Boyhood Home(home only for age 8+). Adults $10, students $5, age 7 and under free. 

Do

• 1 Mason City Toros, 3700 4th St SW, ☏ +1 641 423-4625. See website for current season schedule. Enjoy an ice-hockey game at the North Iowa Ice Arena. The Toros play in the North American Tier III hockey league. (updated Aug 2023)

Eat

The Northwestern Steakhouse is locally famous for its steaks. Birdsall's ice cream is also locally well-known for its delicious shakes, malts, and ice cream and is a local landmark, unchanged for decades.

Sleep

• Decker House Bed and Breakfast, 119 2nd St. SE, ☏ +1 641 423-4700. 
• 1 Park Inn Hotel, 15 W State St, ☏ +1 641-298-8364, toll-free: +1-800-659-2220. (updated Sep 2016)

Go next

Routes through Mason City

Jct N S ← Clear Lake ←	W  E	→ Charles City → Prairie du Chien
END ← Albert Lea ←	N  S	→ Iowa Falls → Des Moines